Here is Episode 5! Sorry for the delay, I had some work to catch up on, but now I'm back! Last time, Nikki, Rob and Destin learned how to properly operate the RacerZords, as well as form the Grand Prix Megazord! However, their training as Power Rangers is far from complete. How will it affect their everyday lives? Find out now!

Sleepless

~Science Class~

It's the middle of Professor Vandor's class, and everything seems to be normal. He's giving a lecture, kids are sitting up and paying attention, until we see our three young Rangers. Nikki, Rob, and Destin are all struggling to keep their eyes open, constantly leaning forward and nearly drifting off, only to slap themselves back awake for fear of getting in trouble. All three look as if they haven't slept in days. At one point, Destin closes his eyes and almost begins to snore, when suddenly he's jolted back to reality when Professor Vandor calls on him.

Vandor: "Destin?"

Destin: *panicked* "Y...yes? Professor?"

Vandor: "Do you know the answer to the question?"

Destin begins freaking out, his eyes darting around the room as if vaguely trying to remember what the question was. He then catches a glimpse of Brad, with Melissa in his lap, flashing four fingers at him. He nods and mouths 'thanks.'

Destin: "Uh, four?"

The whole class bursts out into laughter at this statement.

Vandor: "Destin, do you mean to tell me that the theory of evolution was first proposed by 'four?'"

Destin's mouth opens as if he's going to say something, but he has no response.

Vandor: "Anyone else?"

Rob: *weakly* "Charles Darwin."

Vandor: "Correct, thank you Rob."

Violet, seeing that Rob is clearly out of it as well, places her hand on his shoulder.

Violet: "Rob, are you okay? You look awful."

Brad: *interrupting* "Guess being out of shape is finally catching up to them, am I right?"

Melissa: *giggles* "You're always right, babe!"

Destin suddenly stands up and glares at Brad, or at least manages a half-hearted glare thanks to the bags under his eyes.

Destin: "Hey, I'll… I'll show you who's out of shape…"

He begins to march over to Brad, as if picking a fight, but he suddenly collapses hard on the floor and falls asleep. Everyone begins dying of laughter at the seemingly unreal situation. Even Rob chuckles a little, but Violet nudges him and shakes her head.

Rob: "Sorry…"

~Cue Theme~

~After School~

As the bell rings, everyone ruses out of school to go about their lives. Even though it's the end of the day, Nikki, Rob and Destin still look beat to hell.

Nikki: "Is it me, or was that the longest day ever?"

Rob: "Indeed, I was up till like 2:00 doing homework last night!"

Destin: "I fell asleep doing my homework!"

Nikki: "It's all because Rodgers has been training us so hard! Add fighting Viratron to that, and we have no time to get any rest!"

Destin: *pointing* "And I have a feeling it's not going to stop here!"

He's pointing at Alex's police car pulling into the driveway, causing the three of them to sigh with frustration. As he pulls up to them, he rolls the window down.

Alex: "C'mon guys, we have a busy day ahead of us."

Nikki: "Alex, please, we're exhausted!"

Rob: "We have a bunch of homework to do as well!"

Destin: "My eyes won't even stay open anymore…"

Alex: *enthusiastic* "Sorry kids, but it's all part of being a Ranger. Now let's go! Double time!"

The teens reluctantly get in the car and drive off to suffer another day of hard training.

~Underground Lab~

Dr. Slechterik appears to be making some adjustments to the Matter Mutator.

Vein: "AND JUST WHAT ARE YOU UP TO THIS TIME, DOCTOR?"

Slechterik: "I've modified the Matter Mutator so that its mutation ray is even stronger than before! This will come especially handy in my new plan to destroy the Rangers!"

Vein: "WHAT MIGHT THAT BE?"

Slechterik walks over to a large metal cabinet and opens it up, revealing it to be fill of test tubes, filled with all different colors of liquid.

Slechterik: "I've collected DNA samples of hundred of different specimens from around the world. By mutating them, I'll be able to create a new monster from scratch!"

Vein: "MOST IMPRESSIVE. HOWEVER, IT HAD BETTER WORK THIS TIME. I AM GROWING TIRED OF YOUR FAILURES."

Slechterik: "Don't worry, master. I promise you won't be disappointed this time."

He inspects the numerous vials before grabbing an orange and a yellow one. He carefully pours them into one puddle on a medical table and backs away, aiming the matter mutator at them. The device unleashes a mutation ray, zapping the puddle and growing it into the glowing shape of a monstrous body. As the light fades, the monster is revealed: a goldfish body with black eyes and sharp, piranha-like teeth with human arms and legs.

Slechterik: "Rise up, Piranhadon! Go and destroy the Power Rangers!"

Without any questions, the monster eerily sits straight up, gets off the table, and marches out of the Lab, emitting a demonic growl of a laugh.

~Home Base~

Billy is walking the Rangers through the Zord Hangar towards an area in the back of the room.

Billy: "Today, you all will be training with your respective Ranger weapons."

He leads them to a display case that contains the weapons and opens it up, revealing the Red Revver, Blue Bumper, Golden Gear, Black Blazers, and Pink Piston. How warm at the center of the five is another weapon; a white pistol. When Rodgers sees that this is on display, his eyes go wide, seemingly with anxiety.

Nikki: "Hey, what's that one?"

Billy: "The pistol? Why that's-"

Rodgers quickly grabs Billy by the arm and pulls him away.

Rodgers: "I have to talk to Billy for a minute. Grab your weapons and head to the gym!"

The others look confused, but listen to their captain and take their weapons. Meanwhile, Rodgers drags Billy behind the SportZord, looking quite upset.

Rodgers: *angry* "What is that doing there? I told you to put it away for good!"

Billy: "Yes, but when you said 'put it away' you never specified exactly where you would like it put away."

Rodgers: "Just… put it somewhere they won't see it! I just want to forget that thing exists."

Billy: "Yes, sir."

Rodgers heads out to follow the Rangers while Billy watches him with dismay.

~Gymnasium~

The Rangers stand in a row with Rodgers strolling back and forth in front of them. Behind him are five robots that look identical to Alpha.

Rodgers: "In order to fully enhance your skills with your weapons, Billy has designed this sparring program for you. These robots have been programmed with the highest level of martial arts techniques, so be on your guard."

Madison: "Sir?"

Rodgers: "Yes, Madison?"

Madison: "I'm sorry but this doesn't exactly feel right. Why are they designed like Alpha?"

Rodgers: "My apologies if the designs throw you off, but with the recent construction of the RacerZords we were unable to afford a new robot blueprint. Thus, we created a new line of Alphas, designed specifically for training and easily disposable. Now then, let's begin shall we?"

From there we get a montage of the Rangers fighting against the Alpha robots, which are actually putting up a good fight. Alex and Madison seem to be doing great, blocking the Alphas' attacks and striking back, eventually disabling them with a series of heavy blows. However, Nikki, Rob, and Destin are having less luck. Their tired stages are clearly having an effect on them. Nikki's attacks are easily repelled by the Alpha, who proceeds to inflict a pair of punches and a devastating kick to her torso. Rob tries desperately to hold his ground and block the Alpha's every attack with the Blue Bumper, but it suddenly lands a blow on his chest, forcing him to take a step back. Unfortunately, this causes him to put an immense amount of pressure on his broken leg. The resulting pain he suffers allows the Alpha to do a low kick to his other leg and knock Rob flat on the ground. Destin is faring no better, blindly swinging the Golden Gear in all directions, which the Alpha easily avoids. Eventually, Destin charges at the Alpha, only for it to sidestep slightly and trip him up, causing him to face plant hard on the gym floor. Alex and Madison help the three to their feet, especially Rob, who seems to be in more pain than the others. Rodgers comes back onto the scene with a disappointed look on his face.

Rodgers: "Alex and Madison, excellent job." *to Nikki, Rob and Destin* "You three care to explain what happened out there?"

Rob: "Sir, pardon me but we're far too exhausted to do anything right now, not even train."

Rodgers: "Tired, you say?"

Destin: "We've barely gotten any sleep all week. All this training has us completely burned out!"

Rodgers: "Nikki, do you have anything to add? Perhaps a better excuse?"

Nikki's face goes pale. He mouth opens as if she's going to say something, but the alarm suddenly goes off. They all immediately rush back to the viewing screen to see what's happening. The screen shows Piranhadon walking through the city streets, with people running in pure terror.

Rodgers: "Looks like another one of Viratron's monsters. Rangers, move out!"

The five heroes nod, take out their Keys and get into position.

Nikki: "Ready?"

All: "Ready! GRAND PRIX; REV IT UP!"

~Morphing Sequence~

~City Streets~

Cutting to the scene of the crime, where Piranhadon is surrounded by panicking citizens and burning buildings.

Piranhadon: "Filthy humans! You all fish food!"

The monster plucks several scales off his body, which he throws into the crowds of innocent people. In true Power Rangers fashion, the scales explode like grenades, sending the people flying. Piranhadon laugh maniacally, but stops when he hears the sound of an approaching police car. The Power Rangers jump out and line up to confront the aquatic menace.

Piranhadon: "Aha! So you're Power Rangers! You be easy pickings for Piranhadon!"

Nikki: "Fat chance, fish face! We're taking you down right here and right… *yawn* right now!"

Destin: "Prepare to be… *yawn* destroyed!"

Piranhadon: "Power Rangers not destroy Piranhadon! Piranhadon destroy Power Rangers!"

The monsters bares his fangs at the Rangers before charging at them. The Rangers get into a battle pose before rushing in as well. Alex and Madison, not being completely exhausted, zoom ahead of the other three and attack Piranhadon. They unleash a barrage of punches and kicks, all of which the monster blocks with ease. The two then leap into the air and attempt a flying kick, but Piranhadon catches them in mid air and slams them on the ground before tossing them behind him with little to no effort. Finally, Nikki, Rob and Destin are within striking distance. However, as they let out a battle cry and go in for the attack, Piranhadon easily knocks them away one by one, with a karate chop to Destin's back, a roundhouse to Rob's ribs, and a lethal punch to Nikki's stomach that sends her flying back. Seeing that she's defenseless, Piranhadon goes for her.

Destin: "Nikki, watch out!"

Nikki hears Destin's warning and looks up, seeing the freak of nature approaching her. She quickly draws her Drive Blaster and zaps him several times in the torso, causing him to back up. Already exhausted from the battle, Nikki collapses, seemingly unconscious. Piranhadon's torso is still smoking from the blast; he's been injured bad.

Piranhadon: "Ranger haven't won yet! Piranhadon will be back!"

He plucks five of his scales off, one for each Ranger, and tosses the into the air. Each Ranger is suddenly caught in the middle of a giant explosion that sends them dozens of feet into the air. Thankfully, their suits protect them from too much damage, but when they all gather their bearings, they see that Piranhadon is gone.

Alex: "Damn it! He got away!"

He and Madison look around and see the three teens are have demorphed and are unconscious. They quickly rush to help their foster kids.

~Home Base~

Cutting back to Home Base, we see the five Rangers seated at a round table, with Captain Rodgers walking around it, arms behind his back and a frustrated look on his face.

Rodgers: "Can someone tell me why you allowed that monster to escape?"

Nikki immediately stands up and faces Rodgers., looking as if she's had enough.

Nikki: "I can tell you why: it's because you've been training us non-stop and now we have no energy to fight!"

Alex: "Nikki, sit down."

Rodgers: "You're out of line here, Red Ranger."

Madison: "Sir, with all do respect, I'm going to have a agree with Nikki. I mean, you have been pushing them a little too hard lately."

Nikki: "Don't you realize we have lives outside of being Power Rangers? We have school for half the day and homework afterwards! I mean, I never thought being a Ranger would be easy, but you've literally made it a living hell!"

Rodgers: *firm* "Living hell? You haven't even seen half the battle yet! In order to prepare you for whatever Vein has planned, I must train you to your limits!"

Nikki: *furious* "You make it sound so easy. How about you put on a Ranger suit and go fight Vein instead of just sitting around, barking orders?"

Rodgers glares at her, clearly pissed off at her disrespect. However, he has no response to this remark.

Nikki: "I'll prove that we don't need anymore training! I'm gonna go out there and beat Piranhadon all by myself!"

She immediately pushes herself away from the table and storms out of the room.

Madison: "Nikki, stop!"

Rodgers: "No!"

Madison: "Sir, are you just going to let her go?"

Rodgers: "She wants to prove a point. Let her prove it."

The Rangers watch Nikki go, all with concerned looks on their faces.

~Ash Valley~

Police patrol the areas that Piranhadon has devastated. From an alley, we see the monster himself watching them, drooling like a hungry predator.

Piranhadon: "Wonderful! More humans to blow up!"

The monsters leaps from his covers and eats a loud cackle, which the police quickly take notice of. They draw their guns and take aim.

Officer: "Freeze!"

Piranhadon doesn't stop, so the cops proceeds to open fire, but the bullets simple bounce off his tough scales. He plucks off several more scales and chucks them at the police, causing explosions all around them.

Piranhadon: "Haha! Piranhadon make blue boys go boom!"

Nikki: "Hold it right there!"

Piranhadon turns to see Nikki, morphed into the Red Ranger, run onto the scene.

Nikki: "Returning to the scene of the crime, just like in the movies. You freaks are so predictable!"

Piranhadon: "Oh yeah? Well I predict you're about to go boom too!"

He tosses several more scales at Nikki, but she just barely manages to avoid them. She jumps right at Piranhadon and punches him in the face.

Piranhadon: "Grr… Red Ranger will pay for hurting my face!"

Nikki goes in again with a side-kick, but Piranhadon knocks her leg away and punches her twice in the chest, followed by a kick to the chest. Nikki attempt two punches of her own, but Piranhadon easily dodges them and delivers three roundhouse kicks to her ribs. Stunned, Nikki is unable to protect herself as Piranhadon spins and smacks her across the head with his tail. She tumbles to the ground and rolls away from the monster, who laughs at her embarrassing downfall.

Piranhadon: "Aw, is Red Ranger getting tired? Don't worry, Piranhadon will put you to sleep for good!"

~Home Base~

Rodgers and the other Rangers are watching the fight on the viewing screen, and are horrified to see her take such a beating.

Destin: "Sir, she can't take much more of this! We have to go help her!"

Rodgers: "Then I believe she has failed to prove her point."

Destin: *angry* "Don't you see? This was her point! We can't fight Vein and his monsters if we're always this tired! We need a decent amount of rest every once and awhile like every person does!

Once again, Rodgers has no response. Instead, he actually seems to be listening to Destin. He watches Nikki on the ground, getting repeatedly kicked like a bad dog.

Rodgers: *sighs* "Go, she needs your help."

Destin: *smiles* "Yes, sir!"

The Rangers get into position again.

All: "GRAND PRIX; REV IT UP!"

~Morphing Sequence~

~Ash Valley~

Piranhadon has Nikki pinned to the ground and is holding her arm behind her as if he's about to break it. He laughs in pure enjoyment as Nikki yelps with pain.

Piranhadon: "Oh no! It looks like this toy is broken!"

Nikki braces for the searing pain the is about to ensue, but out of nowhere, Destin's Golden Gear flies through the air and slices right into Piranhadon like a shuriken. The monster roars in pain and falls flat onto his back. Nikki looks up and is overjoyed to see her fellow Rangers rushing to her aid with their signature weapons at their side. They support her as she struggles to her feet.

Madison: "You okay?"

Nikki: "Now I am. Thanks for having my back!"

Destin: "No problem-o! Let's fry this fish!"

Nikki: "Right! Red Revver!"

Nikki's weapon materializes around her hand. Piranhadon recovers and is shocked to see the other Rangers.

Piranhadon: "Hey! Where did you four come from!"

Alex: "It's not about where we came from! It's about where you're going! Rangers ready?"

All: "CHARGE!"

They all rush directly at Piranhadon, who is helpless against their assault. Nikki goes in first, smashing the Revver right into his stomach and chest, followed by an uppercut. Rob inflicts two backhand-punches to Piranhadon's torso, followed by a side kick and a punch. Destin uses his special Gear Vortex move and flies past him, spinning like a tornado and inflicting multiple slash wounds. Alex twirls his Black Blazers around, landing several blows on Piranhadon's stomach, chest, ribs, neck, and head. Piranhadon retaliates with a punch, but Alex blocks it with one Blazer and hits him square in the face with the other. Finally, Madison moves in with her Piston, swiping it across Piranhadon's torso in an x-slash followed by a double kick and other slash. She then swings the piston low and knocks the monster off his feet.

Madison: "Have a nice trip, fish breath!"

The Rangers regroup just in time for Piranhadon to get back up, dazed and confused.

Nikki: "Guess he's the tired one now! How about we kick this fight into overdrive!"

All: "Right!"

The Rangers get into their train formation, hands on each others' shoulders, with Nikki in the lead. By the time Piranhadon regains his senses, it's too late.

All: "MAXIMUM OVERDRIVE!"

All five Rangers glow their respective colors as they fly at the fishy fiend, broadsiding him with all the power they have. The monster cries out in pain, knowing his battle is finished. The Rangers come to a screeching halt as Piranhadon falls to the ground and explodes behind him.

~Underground Base~

Vein: "DOCTOR! YOUR PATHETIC MONSTER HAS TURNED OUT TO BE YET ANOTHER FAILURE!"

Slechterik: "Fortunately, master, I came prepared this time!"

The wicked Doctor walks over to a control panel and pulls a large lever.

Slechterik: "Lightning Rod, defibrillate!"

~Ash Valley~

On top of a tall building, a small, unnoticeable metal rod emerges from the roof. Small as it is, it fires gigantic lightning bolts down at the charred body of Piranhadon. The monster's body begins to glow, and it suddenly grows to mammoth proportions just like the MegaBee. The Rangers, standing just meters away from the behemoth, are shocked to see this.

Piranhadon: "Haha! Now, I don't have to blow you up! I can just step on you!"

Thinking quickly, Nikki raises her morpher to her mouth and calls for Billy.

Nikki: "Billy, quick! We need the RacerZords now!"

Billy: "Affirmative! They're on their way!"

The Zords quickly arrive on the scene and the Rangers jump inside them. Piranhadon take notice of them too and plucks more of his scales off.

Piranhadon: "Looks like I'm blowing you up after all!"

He chucks the scales at the Zords. The Rangers quickly break formation and head down separate streets, narrowly avoiding the ensuing explosions.

Nikki: "You guys, take the lead."

Madison: "It's got to be a team effort, Nikki!"

Destin: "All for one, one for all, and all that jazz."

Nikki: "You're right. Okay, let's do it!"

The SemiZord lines up with Piranhadon and heads straight for him.

Nikki: "Take this!"

The SemiZord rams into Piranhadon, causing him to stumble. Then, the DragZord comes into range of the tower beast.

Destin: "Lemme try something else! Fireballs away!"

He pulls back on the gear shifter to an icon in the shape of a flame. The DragZord suddenly shoots a series of fireballs out of its exhaust pipes, which arc through the air and rain down on Piranhadon, causing him to fall flat on his back.

Nikki: "Hey, cool trick Destin!"

Destin: "Thanks! It's your turn, Nikki!"

Nikki: "Let's combine!"

The Rangers take out their Megazord Keys and insert them into the ignition.

All: "GRAND PRIX MEGAZORD!"

~Megazord Assembly~

The Ranger teleport into the main cockpit.

Nikki: "Grand Prix Megazord, let's rev it up!"

Piranhadon: "Megazord-Schmegazord! Piranhadon blow you up now!"

Nikki: "Don't bet on it!"

Piranhadon charges at the Megazord, but gets knocked away with a left jab. Clearly not learning anything, he goes in again, only to get a roundhouse kick to the the face. Now the Megazord goes in for its own attack.

Piranhadon: "Bombs away!"

The monster pulls off several more scales and hurls them at the Megazord, bombarding it with explosions. The Rangers struggle inside as the cockpit rocks violently.

Piranhadon: "Now I got you!"

Nikki: "We need more power! Activate Motor Sword!"

She slams down on the red sword button, which opens up the SemiZord's engine grate and releases the sword. Piranhadon lashes out with his fist, but the Megazord catches it and knocks him away with a mighty swing of the Motor Sword. Piranhadon tumbles away, now enraged.

Piranhadon: "Enough! Piranhadon make you go boom boom!"

He tosses several more of his scales at the Megazord, but it knocks them away with the sword.

Nikki: "Now it's your turn!"

The Megazord points the sword at Piranhadon, causing him to quiver in fear.

All: "MOTOR SWORD; BACKFIRE STRIKE!"

The Rangers push forward hard on their gear shifters, activating the finishing move. The Megazord raises the Motor Sword above its head. The exhaust pipe blades flare up and begins spouting smoke. The Megazord swings the blade in a circle above its head once, twice, before bringing it down and slashing it across Piranhadon's body. The monsters gives out one final roar before falling down again and exploding, now completely vaporized.

~Home Base~

The Rangers walk into Home Base from the Zord Hangar. Nikki, Rob and Destin are in the lead, stretching, yawning, and talking sleepily.

Destin: "Man, I'm beat."

Rob: "Affirmative. I feel as if I need to hibernate for a year."

Nikki: *nudges Rob* "For once, we agree on something."

The three chuckle amongst themselves, not noticing Rodgers standing in front of them.

Rodgers: "Rangers!"

The five immediately stand at attention.

Rodgers: "At ease."

The three teens relax their posture, but look confused and Rodgers' strange and sudden good mood.

Rodgers: "You all did a good job out there today, and for that, I commend you."

Nikki: "So what's next? More training?"

Rodgers: "No, Nikki. Tomorrow, you all get the day off."

The teens' expressions suddenly go from serious to excited.

Rodgers: "And from then on, I'm shortening your daily training hours."

Destin: "You've gotta be joking, right?"

Rodgers: "This is no joke, Destin. After seeing all the hard work you put into your duties, I figured I should stop pushing you so hard."

Nikki: "Sir, I don't know what to say... Thank you!"

Rodgers: "No thanks needed. You've earned this."

The Rangers, overjoyed by this news, start cheering and high-fiving each other.

Rodgers: "Now, go home and rest up."

Rob: "We're still going to have to get our homework done first!"

Madison: "Well... I thought about that, and I figured you kids could use a break from homework too, so I had Alpha it all for you."

Alpha: "What? You told me they were highly important equations for a new weapons system! Well, thank you for wasting my time!"

Madison: "Sorry Alpha! I'll get you a whole box of oil cans later."

Alpha: "Oh, you're lucky I like oil so much!"

The Rangers, Rodgers, Billy and Alpha all share a laugh as another day of saving the world comes to a close.

~End of Episode 5~

Next Episode: Evil Within